Nar
, as depicted in the ''The Black Company Campaign Setting]] The Nar were the elite warrior caste of the city of Gea-Xle. Thirty-two Nar – including their leader Mogaba – joined the Black Company during Shadow Games, and as a group they played a major role serving Croaker and raising Taglian armies for the early Shadowmaster wars. During the notorious Siege of Dejagore (detailed in both Dreams of Steel and Bleak Seasons) the Nar formed a violent splinter cell in opposition to the "Old Crew", a rival Company faction headed by Murgen the Annalist and standard-bearer. The Nar were almost halved by the end of this siege: of the original 32, only 17 survived. Of these, 13 would rejoin the Company and serve with distinction throughout the events of She Is the Darkness. Mogaba and three of his loyalists were all dismissed for treachery, and joined the ranks of Longshadow, the last remaining Shadowmaster. List of members Only six of the 32 Nar were identified by name in the available Annals. # Mogaba: their leader; by far the most significant member of the Nar in the Annals; their best fighter and tactician; assembled and trained the Taglian First Legion; was dismissed for treachery and later served both Longshadow and Soulcatcher's Protectorate # Sindawe: Mogaba's second-in-command and close friend from very early childhood; commander of the elite Taglian First Legion; rejoined Croaker after the siege of Dejagore # Ochiba: next-in-command after Sindawe; participated with Mogaba in his blood-drinking and cannibalistic human sacrifice ritual worship of Kina; rejoined Croaker after the siege of Dejagore; served as a general of Taglian allies; became one of the Captured # Isi: rejoined Croaker after the siege of Dejagore; served as a general of Taglian allies; became one of the Captured # Endibo: killed during the siege of Dejagore # Khucho: one of only 3 Nar who remained loyal to Mogaba upon his dismissal for treachery after the siege of Dejagore Origins The Black Company, during its original northward trek many generations before Croaker's birth, resided in the city of Gea-Xle for 56 years. It was an unusual interlude in the Company's history: their contract lasted so long, the group almost lost its identity. The men intermarried with the population, becoming a sort of hereditary bodyguard, with arms handed down from father to son. The Company remained until finally its (unidentified) Captain "got a wild hair and decided to go treasure hunting". For once, they left behind a friendly dynasty by the time they departed. Though they went northward to Sham and beyond, some of their descendants remained in Gea-Xle. These men, called the Nar, established a very prestigious warrior class which lasted at least until the Black Company's return to the city, many generations later, during Shadow Games. Also, the leading Nar stayed true to the Company's old doctrine at the time of their service in Gea-Xle: they were cult worshipers of Kina. Though the Company itself would soon forget Kina and evolve into a secular band after leaving Gea-Xle, many Nar kept the Company's evil traditions of human sacrifice and blood-drinking. ''Shadow Games'' As the Black Company trekked southward in Shadow Games, the Nar were notified of their imminent arrival by Shapeshifter, who had been living among them in the guise of a local wizard called "Eldon the Seer". The Nar surprised the Company by handing over one of the long-lost officer's batons and an ancient Black Company standard (with the original honors), and then presenting a twelve-man honor guard. Soon the confused Company learned of their connection to the Nar in the distant past. Mogaba, the elite commander of the Nar, pleaded with Croaker to allow them to join the Company on its pilgrimage to fabled Khatovar. Croaker accepted Mogaba and 31 of his most skilled warriors. They would soon participate with excellent distinction during the training of the new armies of Taglios, the Battle of Ghoja Ford, and the Battle of Dejagore. ''Dreams of Steel'' and Bleak Seasons During the notorious Siege of Dejagore (detailed in both Dreams of Steel and Bleak Seasons) Mogaba formed the Nar into a violent splinter cell in opposition to the "Old Crew", a rival Company faction headed by Murgen. Although the Nar conducted bold sorties against Shadowspinner's siege forces, they were also complicit in Mogaba's numerous crimes and betrayals, including: *committing mass executions of the trapped Jaicuri population, *sponsoring the genocide of the Nyueng Bao De Duang which killed at least 1,200, *and brokering a secret negotiation with Chal Ghanda Ghan and Ranjalpirindi (two of the Prahbrindrah Drah's ambassadors), as well as a tacit agreement with Shadowspinner, to support Mogaba's claim to the Captaincy. Beneath the citadel of Dejagore, a subset of the Nar engaged in ritual murder and human blood-drinking in their worship of Kina. This group was led by Mogaba, who was descended from the original cult priests of the Black Company. One such evil ritual, which came to include cannibalism given the lack of food, was observed directly by Murgen, who had been alerted to the practice by another secret witness, Uncle Doj, in Bleak Seasons. The Nar had been almost halved by the end of this siege: of the original 32, only 17 survived. Of this group, 13 rejected Mogaba's leadership and crossed over to Croaker, the true Captain who brought an end to the siege. Mogaba, Khucho, and two other Nar refused to rejoin, and were dismissed. They would soon serve Longshadow, to become open enemies of the Company. ''She Is the Darkness'' The Black Company Nar The 13 Nar who rejoined Croaker after the Siege of Dejagore continued as generals and officers of the Taglian divisions in battle against Longshadow's armies of Shadowlanders. They fought in the Battle of Lake Tanji, the Battle of Charandaprash, and many other smaller engagements. After the Siege of Overlook – the final battle of the Shadowmaster wars – the bloodshed had reduced them to only 3 survivors: Sindawe, Isi, and Ochiba. At the end of She Is the Darkness, Sindawe would be killed by shadows on the glittering plain, and Ochiba and Isi were neutralized among the Captured in a frozen stasis. Mogaba's Nar Mogaba's three Nar loyalists were all killed in battle against the Company and their Taglian forces before the end of the Shadowmaster wars. The last one, Khucho, was killed in an ambush conducted by Goblin's Shaded Road commandos shortly after the Battle of Charandaprash. Mogaba himself, however, would live for at least 20 more years. Subsequent events Ochiba and Isi, the last survivors of the Company's Nar, were liberated from the cave of the ancients at least 15 years after their imprisonment there. But, they were not mentioned by name again in the Annals. According to a blanket statement regarding the fates of the Captured (excluding Lady and Croaker), Ochiba and Isi died less than 5 years after their liberation. As for Mogaba, he cemented his legacy as the Black Company's most notorious defector during the 15-year gap between She Is the Darkness and Water Sleeps. Now serving Soulcatcher as the Great General of her dictatorship (the Taglian Protectorate), he defeated Sleepy's ragged Black Company in the 5-year Kiaulune wars. Years later, in Soldiers Live, he took to battle against the reconstituted Company yet again. He inflicted horrible losses during the Battle of the Middle Ground. He was eventually killed at the end of the Siege of Taglios. Category:Races *